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Best Car Deals for April 2025Critics’ Choice: The Ultimate Two Car Garage
We asked our critics to narrow down their innumerable “favorites” to just two for their ultimate two-car garage.
Two Cars to Rule Them All
People love their personality tests. Once the province of psychologist couches and the backs of magazines you buy in the checkout aisle, the personality test has found its greatest purveyor as that pile of clickbait that collects at the bottom of online articles. You’ve got your traditional personality tests like the classic Myer-Briggs or the Caliper Profile, and then you’ve got your more specific ones based on your emotional type, your hair color, or the type of pet you own (What does your pug say about you? Click here to find out!).
Car people have their own version of a personality test. It’s called the ultimate two-car garage. It’s a thought experiment that goes something like this: imagine, given zero constraints and an unlimited budget, which two vehicles you’d choose, one to be your daily driver/grocery getter and a second to be your frivolous “fun” vehicle. You can learn a whole lot about a person from the car they drive, but you can learn even more about them based on what car they dream about.
And thus, this Critics’ Choice challenges our writers to narrow their profligate and promiscuous automotive desires down to just two vehicles for their own ultimate two-car garage.
Chris Kaiser
2021 Toyota Land Cruiser
1986 Porsche 911 Turbo
Short List
2021 Lexus LC 500
2022 Lucid Air Dream Ed
1992 Daihatsu Atrai Cruise Van
Narrowing down to just two vehicles to fill my ultimate two-car garage took some doing. While I had a good idea of the final qualities I was seeking, there were a lot of cars that demanded discounting. If I were to choose just one car, the Lexus LC 500 just might be it. First, it’s one of the most stunningly beautiful cars built today, and second, it’s one of the best sounding cars thanks to its growly naturally-aspirated V8.
But going radically, unnervingly fast also has its appeals. Which leads me to another superlative automobile, the Lucid Air. This all-electric sedan happens to be the among the quickest cars zero to sixty in the world (debates rage over rolling starts and specialized launch controls, but the list comprises the Lucid Air Sapphire, the Koenigsegg Gemera, and the Tesla Model S Plaid). Though not the fastest iteration of the Lucid Air, the Dream Edition, with its 933 electric horses, zips from zero to sixty in 2.5 seconds.
And while going ridiculously fast and turning heads is great, going a bit slower while turning heads for different reasons also has its charms, too. Enter the Daihatsu Atrai, a diminutive kei van from Japan. This little van is equipped with a five-speed manual, all-wheel drive, a killer turquoise paint job, and some very-90s upholstery. That it’s a fairly bare bones vehicle just makes it all the most appealing for customizing.
I could certainly see myself with at least one of my two stalls in my imaginary garage taken up by one of these cars. However, I knew from the outset, which were my likely final picks. For my daily/practical vehicle I went with the most notoriously durable and reliable of durable, reliable Toyotas, the Land Cruiser. Of course, if I’m driving it every day, I’d like a new-ish one with all the modern bells and whistles. I knew my Land Cruiser would need to be capable of double duty, making both grocery runs around town and serving as an overlanding vehicle when the city gets to be too much. The 2021 Land Cruiser I found has been kitted out with all sorts of overlanding goodies including a front winch, bull bars, skid plates, off-road tires, a roof rack, and even a storage system built into the cargo area. Top it off with a green paint job, perfection.
For a fun car, I was very tempted to just go with the current 2023 Porsche 911 Turbo S. As the most advanced 911 ever built and insanely fast, that car was almost perfect. And yet, my affinity for classic cars nudged me toward an earlier version of the 911, a 1986 Carrera Turbo from the notorious 930 generation, the first to get turbocharging. This example was just about everything I was looking for in a vintage Porsche from the Fuchs wheels and very 80s steering wheel to the whale tail spoiler and the factory garment metallic paint job. The car looks spectacular. It’s also a heck of a collectors’ item as this 911 retains its numbers-matching 3.3L turbo flat-six and four-speed manual. No, it’s not the fastest 911 one can buy, not by a long shot. But in my opinion, it might be the best looking. Add in the challenges of mastering the jolting boost and tail-happy qualities of the 930, and you’ve got what I’d consider the ultimate Porsche 911 experience.
Jesse McGraw
2019 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6
1997 Nissan Stagea
Short List
1987 Buick Grand National
1991 GMC Syclone
1991 Toyota Previa All-Trac
2023 Toyota Crown
1970 Dodge Charger R/T 440
2023 Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo
I can pick anything I want to park in a two-stall garage? That’s a tough one– err two? The easy answer is to park my dream cars in there, but I think I’ll want to mix in some down to earth practicality with my choices – at least slightly. I could grab something new like the 2023 Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo and then pair that with something classic like a ‘70 Dodge Charger R/T. That feels like a nice mix until I consider driving in the winter up here in the north. So maybe some all-wheel drive options like an imported Toyota Previa All-Trac and that great looking 2023 Toyota Crown. Those would take on the snow a lot easier, but I feel like they aren’t pushing the envelope enough in terms of “you can pick anything.”
That’s how I landed on a 2019 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 and freshly imported 1997 Nissan Stagea. The Mercedes was an easy pick considering that my wife wants a G-Wagon and I want a truck. This G63 AMG 6×6 takes both of those wants and tacks on an extra axle to create a ridiculous luxury ride that’ll tackle whatever terrain is thrown at it. You get all the luxurious appointments from Mercedes-Benz like leather upholstery, Burmester surround sound system, heated seats front and back, starlight headliner, and those giant screens for the digital gauge cluster and infotainment system.
Being an AMG, you also get a tuned twin-turbocharged 4.0L V8 engine generating 577 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque under this luxury abomination’s hood. All of that is routed through a 9-speed automatic transmission to all six wheels providing near limitless traction over dirt, mud, rocks, snow, or whatever you’re driving on. Now, this 2019 conversion isn’t performed by Mercedes unfortunately, but it does utilize OEM Mercedes-Benz and AMG parts to accomplish the task. So, this thing is still going to provide a capable and comfortable ride.
The other choice I brought to the two-stall garage may be something you’ve never heard of, but you’ll want it if you’re anything like me. The Nissan Stagea is a JDM wagon that shares a lot with Nissan Skyline of the same time. This one I found imported and listed on Carsforsale.com does have a lot of mileage on the odometer, but it’s also unique in the fact that it’s a Tommykaira edition known as the M25tw. The famous Japanese car tuning company took the turbocharged 2.5L I6 RB25DET engine in this Stagea and pumped up the specs a bit so that it’s transformed into an exciting AWD wagon version of the Skyline. The tuners also added a new set of wheels and a specialized body kit that resembles the R34 Skyline a bit more. That mileage is getting up there for this import. Luckily, if anything becomes an issue, I can swap out parts from this wagon pretty much directly with the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R and have quite the sleeper on my hands.
The Stagea is a fun piece of JDM car culture and is pretty much a sports car disguised as a wagon, so I can convince my wife it’s just a boring dad car. Although, I think she’d be having too much fun in a 6×6 G-Wagon/Truck to care too much about what I’m driving.
Jesse Batson
1970 Jaguar E-Type
2022 Ford F-550 Super Duty
Short List
1990 Ferrari F40
2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
1966 Ford GT40
2017 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
1956 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
2021 Rolls-Royce Cullinan
This month we really have opened the doors to all kinds of possibilities. I think I’d actually have a list of closer to 10 fun cars. That was a hard choice. Well, it was easy to come up with a long list, but it was hard to narrow it down. I almost went with this 2017 Lamborghini Huracan. Look at that! It’s like a perfect blend of the Batmboile and a Transformer! That one was hard to pass up. However, I decided to go old school instead.
The fun vehicle I chose is a 1970 Jaguar E-Type. It’s a classic that only has 50,000 miles on it, but it costs $155,000 (good thing there’s no monetary limit on this fantasy car!). It’s got a 4.2-liter inline-6 engine with a manual four-speed transmission. The exact horsepower isn’t listed, but the engine has been completely rebuilt so I’m assuming it’s going to be up in the 290 range. Now, compared to modern vehicles, this E-Type may still run a little noisier, but I’m fine with that.
Truth be told, I want a little engine noise to make people turn their heads if I’m driving by in a car with this kind of timeless design. Those red sidewall lines, the showstopping silver exterior, and the sleek silhouette all work together perfectly. It may not have the speed or insane power of some newer cars, but it’s got style! The cabin doesn’t disappoint either. From the upgraded sound system and leather seats to the gold emblem on the steering wheel and the wood accents throughout, it’s enough to make every drive a good one.
The other vehicle I chose is a 2022 Ford F-550 Super Duty Crew Cab that has been converted into a roomy camper. I was going to go with a 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, but this is a dream two car garage scenario, right? This modified F-550 may look a little out there (a mix of Mad Max on the outside with blue carbon coating and a luxury hotel room on the inside with granite counter tops), but it is actually fairly practical. Hear me out, now.
Power? It definitely has that. It is run on Ford’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel B20 engine, which is mated to a Torqshift 10-speed automatic transmission. That equals out to a 19,500 lb payload that can haul the entire family wherever you want to go on summer vacation with a 120-gallon fuel tank capacity (I don’t even want to know what the MPG is on this one).
Ability? Yeah, this vehicle covers that with 20-inch bead lock military wheels and 41-inch military off-road tires. There’s a 12,000 lb winch with wireless control. It’s not lacking in safety either. An 8-inch touchscreen, blind spot mirrors, active lane-keeping assist, traction control, and side impact beams are all included here. The windows are made of one-inch-thick polycarbonate glass.
Now, let’s talk about the inside. That’s why this is also my practical choice. You don’t have to hook a camper up to keep your road companions happy. They can sit in the large, comfortable rear seats, or they can hang out on the bench seats and watch something on the Samsung 4K Smart TV. If they love naps as much as I do, they could climb up to the mattress and take a snooze. Hungry? No problem! Pull a snack out of the 60-inch fridge and freezer combo. For fresh food, cook something in the 24-inch microwave/convection oven/air fryer combo which is complete with Wi-Fi. An indoor/outdoor stereo will play music on 10 six- and eight-inch speakers.
There’s a bathroom and shower, too. If you want the perfect compromise between camping and glamping, this is as close to perfect as you can get. Now, I’m not sure in what world I’ll need a Ford with hand-crafted walnut cabinets inside and military wheels driving it forward, but, in this thing, I’ll be ready for a vacation or adventure! So, you see, it really is the more practical of the two vehicles here.
